Col. Stewart Gast

Colonel Gast was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Engineer Regiment upon graduating from Louisiana State University in 2000. His first duty assignment was to 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, WA, where he served as a Sapper and Specialty Platoon Leader in A Company, 65^th Engineer Battalion. Following the reflagging to 1^st Stryker Brigade, he served as Executive Officer in the 73^rd Engineer Company.  

In 2005, then-CPT Gast served as the Battalion Maintenance Officer, 2^nd Engineer Battalion, 1^st Brigade, 2^nd Infantry Division. He then assumed command of the Headquarters Detachment for Combat Support Coordination Team 3, 8^th Army, United States Forces Korea. In 2007, then-CPT Gast deployed as a Police Mentor Team Chief during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) while assigned to 1^st Brigade, 1^st Infantry Division. Following the deployment, he served as a Company Observer Controller and Analyst OIC for Task Force 4 at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC). In 2009, then-MAJ Gast served as a Troop Commander in the Asymmetric Warfare Group. Here he deployed four times to three different theaters, including OEF, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Following Command and General Staff College, then-MAJ Gast was assigned as the Brigade Engineer for 4^th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 4^th Infantry Division, and later as the Operations Officer for 4^th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, where he deployed in support of OEF. Following the reflagging of 4^th BCT to 2^nd BCT, then-MAJ Gast served as Battalion Executive Officer for the 52nd Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB). Then-MAJ Gast served as Senior Instructor to the Royal School of Military Engineering in the United Kingdom in the Military Personnel Exchange Program, US Army Europe. After serving as the Division Engineer for the 3^rd Infantry Division, then-LTC Gast assumed command of 39^th BEB, 2^nd BCT, 101^st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Following command, then-LTC Gast served as the BEB Senior Observer, Coach, and Trainer at JRTC. COL Gast recently served as the Combined Forces Command ACoS Deputy Engineer and U.S. Forces Korea Engineers Chief of Plans and Operations. COL Gast currently serves as the Brigade Commander for the 181^st Infantry Brigade (MFTB), First Army.

Civilian education includes a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Arts in International Relations from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from LSU. His military education includes Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger, and Sapper schools. 

CSM Don E. Batchan was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana on 21 January 1978. After entering the U.S. Army on 06 January 1999 from his hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana, he conducted Combat Engineer One Station Unit Training (OSUT)/Advanced Initial Training (AIT) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

CSM Batchan’s assignments include: 317th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Georgia (While assigned to this Unit, CSM Batchan participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom I); Charlie Company, 65th Engineer Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (While assigned to this Unit, CSM Batchan, served as a squad leader and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom while serving as a member of the Combined/Joint Task Force – 76, and the United States Central Command); Alpha Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion (While assigned to this unit, he served as squad leader and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom-IV); Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd In Brigade Combat Team Division, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (Where he participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom-VII while serving as the Brigade Engineer NCOIC); 571st Sapper Company, 555th Engineer Brigade, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington (Where he participated in Operation Enduring Freedom – XI while serving as a platoon sergeant for a route clearance platoon); HHC, 84^th EN BN, Schofield Barracks, HI (Where he served as First Sergeant) 169th Engineer Battalion (Where he served as the Chief Instructor for the Technical Engineer Skills Division); 3D Brigade Engineer Battalion (Where he served as the Battalion Command Sergeant Major); and 1^st Engineer Brigade (where he served as the Brigade Command Sergeant Major for the Army’s Premiere Engineer Brigade).

 During his time in the military, he has held leadership positions as a Team Leader, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Operations Sergeant, First Sergeant, Battalion Command Sergeant Major, and Brigade Command Sergeant Major.

 CSM Batchan’s military and civilian education includes the Primary Leadership Development Course (Distinguished Honor Graduate); Advanced Leaders Course (Commandant’s List); and Senior Leaders Course (Commandant’s List). Sapper School; Air Assault School; Engineer Explosive Ordnance Clearance Agent Course (EEOCA); and Combat Lifesaver Course.

 He has earned his Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Workforce Development from the Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Center of Excellence and a Master of Project Management from Georgetown University.

 His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal (3rd Oak Leaf Clusters); Meritorious Service Medal (3rd Oak Leaf Cluster); Army Commendation Medal (3rd Oak Leaf Cluster); Army Achievement Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster); National Defense Service Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal (8th Award); Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (Numeral 5); Army Service Ribbon; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Medal; Combat Action Badge; and the Sapper Tab.